player plot: the horror of sarrux's pass

[aberratic]

WHO: Caius, Gwen, Hermione, Jayce, Ness, Siorus, Stephen, Vanya (sumptus, elegiaque, reparo, pathlit, aberratic, wildered, portalling, wearyallalone)
WHAT: The Horrors Cometh
WHEN: Beginning of Harvestmere (October)
WHERE: Sarrux's Pass, outside Wycome
NOTES: OOC post here. TWs for body horror, NPC death, ghost town/apocalypse vibes, children in upsetting situations, and general horror stuff.

Characters

CAIUS

GWENAËLLE

HERMIONE

JAYCE

NESS

SIORUS

STEPHEN

VANYA

The residents of Sarrux's Pass, a small village tucked into the mountains of the Free Marches, have long held that their settlement used to be a bustling trade city where dwarves were as plentiful as humans and they had constant contact between the surface and the Deep Roads. These were assumed by the surrounding cities to be nothing more than fanciful legends for decades, but any long-time resident swore it was the truth, lost to time and "monsters in the deep."

Residents were finally vindicated a few months ago when an earthquake caused a landslide in the surrounding mountains, revealing a long-lost outlet from the Deep Roads. At first, residents of the pass were apprehensive, all too aware of the dangers posed by such an opening, but the longer they went without Darkspawn spilling from the entrance, the more eager they became to investigate.

Eventually, the bravest among them began to enter the Roads, in search of ore and artifacts. They were vindicated again, finding both, and Sarrux's Pass quickly became a magnet for treasure hunters, Lords of Fortune, historians, archaeologists, and anyone in search of a quick buck. Even in the face of the Venatori invasion of the Marches, the promise of fame and riches drew handfuls of people seeking their fortunes to the Pass. News from the area was steady, and filled with discoveries and success stories—as well as the brawls, backstabbing, and even the occasional murder that comes with any good gold rush town.

It's been a few months since the reveal of the Deep Roads entrance. News from Sarrux's Pass has slowed to a trickle, then a drip, and now, in the past weeks, nothing. The last message to make it out of the village three weeks ago said simply: "We weren't just right about the dwarves." The parchment was stained with an unidentifiable liquid—not water, not blood—which smelled of the sea.

Riftwatch has been tasked with investigating the village, with three goals: find out what happened to the residents, recover whatever valuables they can from the Deep Roads, and, if necessary, close the entrance again. There may be Venatori in the area, or Darkspawn, or territorial prospectors—without contact with the village, there's no way of knowing what Riftwatch may discover. © tessisamess

Comments

[portalling]

Meanwhile, Stephen is still an adult, and an ill-fitting one: these desks in the real world were once right-sized, but now they feel cramped and uncomfortable, his knees bumping against the tabletop, reminding him with each jostle and fidget that he’s too old to be here. He shouldn’t still be a student.

The paper slides across the floor. He purposefully rolls his pen, sending it clattering off the table, then stoops to pick it up and snatch Caius’ note while he’s at it. He hides it under his wrist, tilts his forearm to surreptitiously read it.

Meaningless runes —

He can’t read Trade, it’s not English, it’s not even an alphabet system that exists on Earth,

except he can read Trade, he’s been reading and writing in it for two years

(you’re not supposed to be able to read in dreams, are you?)

He stares at the incomprehensible muddle, before blinking once, twice, forcibly clearing his vision. Reality slips and realigns, and the runes resolve back into English, the answers printed neatly. Stephen’s palms are sweaty as he presses his fingers against the note, and he looks back up at their teacher. The cut of her robes used to be standard Master of the Mystic Arts; now, they’re a little more Tevene-fashion.

“The astral dimension. The mirror dimension,” he says, the list running dry sooner than it should. “Uh… The Crossroads…”

(a concept which does exist in both places, and isn’t that curious?)